Talk:Chapter 2 People
I honestly have to say Aizu is my favorite character in World’s End. Besides Tevoran himself, she characterizes the tone of the game more than anyone else. If you were to combine all the innocent vulnerability of a shy schoolgirl with the unstable violence of a sadistic, reclusive sociopath, and then wrap it all in a shroud of unknown origins, you would have Aizu. If you want a picture of Aizu’s persona, the train scene on episode 7-1 captures it perfectly. One moment she’s sleeping away peacefully, looking for all the world like an undernourished, homeless orphan. The next moment she’s straight out decapitating a train robber for punching two of her friends. And the strangest thing of all is that she comes off as relatable and endearing rather than creepy. Aizu’s character is a stroke of genius all around. She’s full of contradictions inside and out. She looks so fragile and timid, yet she has a violent impulse that makes even Ysabel blush. She appears weak helpless, yet possesses powers unimaginable to the rest of the group. She looks and acts insignificant, and yet she’s the target of the two most powerful nations on the earth. More than that, there’s the sense that she’s the true center of all the events in World’s End; if the characters can unravel her mystery, then they’ve solved the final riddle. It’s been suggested that the resurgence of magic into the Valelands—from Father Otis to Fallon to Duriken to the Sewer Shaman—is all somehow related to Aizu, and I think this sentiment is dead on. And the cool thing is, even the gameplay reflects this. Health and attack wise, Aizu is frailer than Casimir, and unlike the other players, she has no way of learning skills or becoming stronger. And yet if you play with one ounce of sense, she’s completely unkillable. Her ability to act as a living wall lets her stand down contingents that Tevoran would struggle against. Many players have commented that she’s the least useful of the playable characters. Yet it’s this apparently uselessness is what gives her her strength and utility within a battle. The real question is “What is Aizu?” (What seems more appropriate than who, it’s in the title of her freaking theme, for goodness sakes). This is the question that I really hope gets answered, or at least explored, in episode 3. It’s a veritable tantalizing. Let’s start with what we know. A good deal of Fallon’s dialogue indicates that whatever she is, Aizu is not human (at least not fully; I’m still open to the idea that she might be a demi-god). Fallon refers to her as “the creature” several times and mocks Tevoran for calling her a “girl”. Duriken calls her “the god creature” at the end of Chapter 2. Other, subtler hints (such as Tevoran’s question in Chapter 1, “''What'' are you?”) seem to concur with this idea. And let’s face it; for the most part Aizu doesn’t act that human either. No normal person would bite off someone’s ear and then smile, blood dripping down her face, and say, “Enjoy!” before walking away. She’s the least human, yet her status as a neglected outsider makes her one of the most relatable. It’s strange. Concerning Aizu’s powers. She sleeps an unusual amount (I have a theory that her powers give her extremely high metabolism, hence her constant need for rest). So far, she’s exhibited the following abilities: · Regenerative properties, that apparently extend from healing naturally in battle to reforming body parts after being blown to pieces · Ability to avoid damage through stealth and obscurity · Ability to conjure a barrier similar to the one the sewer shaman used in episode 9-3 · An extrasensory danger sense that can predict future events · Telekinesis · Immense physical strength in times of danger It’s hard to believe that Tevoran can consider her useless. It also appears that Aizu isn’t using the full measure of her supernatural abilities at any point in the game so far. She seems as uncertain about her identity as anyone else; it’s strongly suggested that her memories have been erased and reformed to a large degree (there are some things she appears to remember from her true life; she clearly had an unpleasant history with Fallon that made her loathe to “go with” the Veiled Mystic. What’s unclear whether the memory wipe is from her own volition or from someone else. Her last words in episode 2; “I remember now; I guess I’ll have to do it again” indicate not only that her memories are returning, but that this has all happened before. Possibly Aizu loses her memories every time she has to regenerate, making her sacrifice all the more heroic, knowing full well that she’s going to have to go through the same period of fear and uncertainty before finding herself again. Taking with Fallon’s declaration that “the creature has awoken”, it seems that Aizu is a supernatural, otherworldly being in a dormant state, designed to take on the guise of an unsuspecting girl with no knowledge of her past or power. Whether her origin is divine or demonic remains to be seen. However, she’s slowly coming into knowledge of her true nature, and her awakening means the awakening of the world of magic as well. It’s not hard to guess what Duriken and Fallon want from her; harnessing her power is the key to monopolizing magic. My current theory is that Aizu is a demi-god, either of Ecthain, Haxis, or some other deity we don’t know about yet. What I’m really curious to see is what her true form is; whether some hideous abomination, a beautiful celestial spirit, or just plain old Aizu. Any of which I hope we get to see in Chapter 3. I have no doubt that Aizu will reunite with Tevoran and Company, though on what terms, I don’t know (I’d like to think that she’ll still consider them friends after her regeneration). I don’t think anyone except Tevoran actually believe she’s really dead. If Duriken and Fallon’s dialogue in the last chapter wasn’t enough evidence for that, the last song, “Desolation”, is a darker version of Aizu’s theme, “What Are You?” (Very clever touch, Mezzanine Stairs). In any event, I look forward to the future of World’s End. Cheers!